1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fishing jigs and lures and in particular to jigs or hooks for mounting bait.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various fishing bait devices are available within the fishing industry to attract fish and allow the reuse of the bait. The devices which are used include fishhooks with barbs or burrs that flare from the shank of the hook. These barbs are formed by peeling or shaving a portion of the shank to extend at a preferred angle. The barbs are formed to resist withdrawal of the lure or live bait that is mounted around the barbs. However, the barbs do not prevent the withdrawal of the lure or live bait. Often a fish will open its mouth and shake its head back and forth upon striking the barbed hook causing the fishhook to be withdrawn. Also, the barbs do not prevent the bait from sliding down the fishhook and obstructing the pointed end of the fishhook. It would be beneficial to have a lure or bait device that prevents the hook from being withdrawn or “spit out” by the fish and prevents the bait from sliding down the hook. In addition to spitting out the hook, fish can sometimes remove the bait from the hook without being captured.
Realistic lures and live bait are often utilized to attract fish onto a hook. Because of the realistic nature of many of these lures or live bait systems, fish can often remove the lure or bait from the line without being hooked. Some systems attempt to prevent the removal of the bait by utilizing an external locking member that has to be added to and fixedly secured to jigs and lures. These external locking members can detract from the realistic nature of the bait. In addition, barbs, the pointed-end of the fishhook or external locking members can become entangled in the weeds or embedded in the rocky ground. Some attempts to address this problem include incorporating a weedguard into the head of the jig. However, the addition of the weedguard created additional problems, including interfering with the fishhook or causing the jig to rotate horizontally allowing the fishhook to be removed from a fish's mouth. Other attempts to solve this problem included utilizing a “Texas rig” configuration, which uses jig configured with a fishhook point embedded in the body of the bait. However, these Texas rigs as well as conventional jigs allow the bait to slide down the hookshank and obstruct the hookpoint. It would be an advantage to use an internal reinforcing mechanism for bait systems which prevented removal of the bait, snagging of the jig or unwanted obstruction of the fishhook point.
Another problem with current bait systems is that it can be difficult and time consuming to change the attracting element. In some conditions, one type of bait can be more effective for attracting fish than another type of bait. This can be based on the type of fish, the environmental conditions and the underwater conditions. The fisher who begins the day under certain conditions may find that they change throughout the day and the lure or live bait system they began the day with is no longer effective. In this situation, the fisher may want to change the lure or bait being used. However, the time needed to change the bait system consumes valuable fishing time at a time when the fish may be striking. It would be advantageous to have an internally reinforced bait system which is easily changeable, producing the effectiveness of the jig at catching fish with the features of a weedguard system while preventing unwanted movement of the bait.
Prior part attempts to address these problems include the device shown in Huppert U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,477, which discloses a barbed stem which can be used to support live bait or artificial dressing. Peddycoart U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,920 discloses a locking mechanism for quick interchange. However, heretofore there has not been available a jig and bait system with the advantages and features of the present invention.